14th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization

India:- 14th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO) opened on 26 March 2026 in Yaoundé, Cameroon, with a formal session chaired by the Cameroonian Minister of Trade. Session was attended by WTO Director-General Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Trade Ministers/Senior Representatives of Member States. Commerce Secretary Shri Rajesh Aggarwal participated in the inaugural session on behalf of India. Following the inaugural session, a brief ceremony was held to mark the entry into force of the Fisheries Subsidies Agreement on 15 September 2025.

Following the opening ceremony, Ministers met for a Ministerial-level discussion on fundamental issues of the WTO, including its principles. During this session, Shri Piyush Goyal, Honourable Minister of Commerce and Industry of India, stated that necessary reforms to the WTO should be undertaken through a transparent, inclusive, and member-driven process that places development at the center and upholds the Organization's fundamental principles and objectives—notably non-discrimination, consensus-based decision-making, and impartiality. During the first day of the MC14 meetings, Shri Goyal met with the Honourable Prime Minister of Cameroon, His Excellency Mr. Dion Ngute Joseph, and discussed bilateral and multilateral issues, including measures to further strengthen India-Cameroon cooperation. Shri Goyal also held a bilateral meeting with the Director General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), where discussions focused primarily on the MC14 agenda. The HCIM also held bilateral meetings with his counterparts from the Netherlands, France, and Ethiopia, and exchanged views on further deepening bilateral trade relations.

Commerce Secretary Shri Rajesh Agarwal also held bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Chile, Paraguay, the United States, Nepal, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, the European Parliament delegation, Mexico, Peru, Russia, New Zealand, and the European Union during MC-14. Discussions in these meetings focused on the MC-14 agenda as well as options for strengthening bilateral trade relations. With Chile and Peru, both sides discussed the progress of the India-Chile FTA negotiations and the India-Peru FTA negotiations. With the European Union and New Zealand, both sides reviewed the progress towards signing the recently concluded India-EU FTA and India-New Zealand FTA negotiations.